The Bluebirds were looking to keep the pressure on Norwich in the race for second place in the npower Championship, but the game was over as a contest inside 21 minutes as Leroy Lita, Barry Robson and Richard Smallwood all struck for the visitors to condemn Cardiff to their heaviest home defeat since a 3-0 reverse to Ipswich at Ninian Park in April 2009.
Cardiff now look set for another run through the play-offs, unless the FA hand out a substantial points deduction to QPR over their purchase of Alejandro Faurlin in 2009.
Jones said: "We didn't perform in the first half, the first two goals are schoolboy goals to give away.
"Then we lost our discipline and people were running all over the shop. We just needed to get them into the dressing room and settle them down and regroup, but unfortunately we conceded the third.
"I can only apologise to our fans and I am sure the players will reiterate that. We just didn't turn up and it's not often I can say that about this group. Whether the nerves or expectation got to them, I don't know. But I think it was just poor defending as a team from front to back."
Jones vowed that his side will recover from this setback, but he took exception to suggestions that his side have been guilty of stumbling with their goal in sight after coming so close to promotion in recent seasons.
"We've been there and we have been trying really hard for three seasons and within that we have been selling our best players and I don't think it's right to say that (we are chokers), because I don't agree with it.
"This club has a lot to be proud of because we keep bouncing back.
" Two clubs (Sheffield United and Preston) have just been relegated from this division who have been in the play-offs recently, so to talk about choking is not the right thing to say about my players at this moment in time because I think that's a load of c**p.
"It's very raw at the moment and it's not the best time to be asking me that."
Source: PA
Source: PA